Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

Articles by Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)

An Internet cafe manager uses a computer in an Internet cafe in the Hodan area of Mogadishu, 9 October 2013, Reuters/Feisal Omar

Mine, not thine: Somalia’s Al Shabaab bans the Internet

Somali rebel group (and US-designated terrorist organization) Al Shabaab has reportedly banned the use of the Internet through mobile handsets and fiber optic cables throughout Somalia, giving telecommunications companies 15 days to comply with the order.

Graphical interpretation of the words most frequently used on EFF's Deeplinks blog in 2013, EFF

2013 in review: Fight for free expression and privacy in technology

In 2013, we received confirmation and disturbing details about the NSA programs that are sweeping up information on hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the world. This set off a cascade of events, from EFF’s newest lawsuit against the NSA to protests in the streets to a United Nations resolution to Congressional bills both promising and terrifying. In December, a federal judge even found the surveillance likely unconstitutional, calling it “almost-Orwellian.”

Journalists protested in front of the Jordanian Parliament on 5 June 2013 against the blocking of over 200 websites. The sign reads: "No reform without press freedom", Hussam Da’ana/7iber

2013 in review: As governments in the Arab world crack down, activists fight back

As the year draws to a close, the Electronic Frontier Foundation is looking back at the major trends influencing digital rights in 2013 and discussing where we are in the fight for free expression, innovation, fair use, and privacy.

Demonstrators hold signs and posters of Moroccan editor Ali Anouzla during a protest against his arrest on 26 September. Anouzla was arrested after posting posting a link to a video from al Qaeda, REUTERS/Stringer

Will Morocco regulate the internet?

In a region where censorship is the norm, Morocco has always stood out for its nominally free press, and mostly free Internet. But in the past year, that freedom has been repeatedly challenged.

Link to: UN General Assembly approves resolution on “The right to privacy in the digital age”

UN General Assembly approves resolution on “The right to privacy in the digital age”

A UN approved privacy resolution is aimed at upholding the right to privacy for everyone at a time when the United States and the United Kingdom have been conducting sweeping mass surveillance on billions of innocent individuals around the world from domestic soil.

Several dozen journalists suffered serious injuries following a brutal attack by soldiers on 1 December 2013 in Kyiv. , Efrem Lukatskiy

Worldwide condemnation for brutal attacks on over 50 journalists in Ukraine

IFEX members strongly condemn recent attacks on journalists during public demonstrations in Kyiv and call for those responsible to be held accountable.

Friends and supporters wearing t-shirts with the image of lawyer Le Quoc Quan attend a mass calling for Quan to be freed at a church in Hanoi, 29 September 2013, REUTERS/Kham

Vietnamese blogger’s detention “illegal”, says UN rights tribunal

Following the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determination that Vietnamese human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan’s detention is illegal, 12 NGOs issued a joint appeal to the authorities calling for his immediate release.

Link to: The NSA is tracking online porn viewing to discredit “radicalizers”

The NSA is tracking online porn viewing to discredit “radicalizers”

Sitting on the wire, the NSA has the ability to track and make a record of every website you visit. The Huffington Post has revealed that the NSA is using this incredible power to track who visits online porn websites, and to use this information to discredit those it deems dangerous.